Is it my imagination or has Carnival found a way to raise rates again?
I notice now that if you want an inside cabin there is now a rate increase if you want a regular inside cabin without upper/lower bunk beds. This has only shown up in last 3 weeks or so since I booked my last cruise and was looking for another one. It's only about $3 per person per night but come on...
We have found that we can cruise more often if we book an inside cabin since we spend so little time in the cabin. After you select this, deck level, and deck position you spend an extra $25 per person per day.

Is it my imagination or has Carnival found a way to raise rates again?
I notice now that if you want an inside cabin there is now a rate increase if you want a regular inside cabin without upper/lower bunk beds. This has only shown up in last 3 weeks or so since I booked my last cruise and was looking for another one. It's only about $3 per person per night but come on...
We have found that we can cruise more often if we book an inside cabin since we spend so little time in the cabin. After you select this, deck level, and deck position you spend an extra $25 per person per day.

The cabins with the upper/lowers are 1A's and the regular cabins are a cat 4A and up.

Carnival will always advertise the lowest 'from' rate that was available based on double occupancy. (In other words, the rate will say it's "from $xxx", which means that was the starting rate.) That rate can be a guarantee rate, Category 1A, Resident Rate, Early Saver Fare, etc.

However, sometimes when you click on it you'll find either that rate is no longer available, or is not available on your sailing.

Keep in mind that any of those special rates are always capacity controlled. So you may go in there one day and see a rate then go in there the next day and the rate has gone up. This may or may not be caused by the special no longer being available or it could be caused by a price increase. Prices are based on supply and demand; if the demand is high and supply is low, then prices go up. If supply is high and demand is low, then prices go down.

And of course any of this can change from day-to-day, which is why it's always advisable to book as early as possible. If prices go up, your rate is protected. And if prices go down, almost always you can get the decrease provided the final payment due date has not happened.

What you have noticed is, in fact, a reality. When you look at ships built even as early as 20 years ago, they did not have very many balcony cabins at all. Conventional wisdom was that if they put a balcony with a cabin, it had to be up high to prevent any possible water from coming in. In fact, ships of old had no balcony cabins.

Keep in mind that cruising use to be the only way to get from one continent to another. Ships were built to do transcontinental crossings, which could often be rather hazardous, especially in bad weather.

Little by little, they started adding a few balconies, but only to suites. So any cabin with a balcony was very expensive.

As the design of ship began to change and the demand for balconies grew, they began to add more and more balcony cabins until now ships are as much as 75% balcony cabins. In fact, there are some luxury cruise ships that do not offer any inside or oceanview cabins at all.

When you look at the Oasis-class ships of the RCCL fleet, you'll notice there are relatively few inside cabins and not alot of oceanview cabins. They have a unique design that offers balcony cabins that are either oceanview or inside view overlooking the boardwalk or central park areas.

But the cruise lines are simply responding to demand and nowadays, the demand is for balcony cabins. So with the advancement in ship designs, they are able to cater to the demand.

It's really interesting sailing on a smaller older ship and then sailing on a newer mega-ship. The differences are amazing. But both are wonderful in their own way. The smaller ships offer a unique intimate old-style experience, while the newer ships can carry as many as 6500 passengers and offer amenities never before even considered on a ship, such as an ice rink.

And that's the best part about cruising is that there are so many different kinds of ships available, one can never run out of experiences if they wish to try them all.

It is true that Carnival seems to advertise the lowest price in the lowest category for whichever cabin(s) they have available. It's not so much a bait and switch as it is a fire sale. Once the cabins are all gone I'm not sure the price changes on the display.

I used to think I didn't spend much time in my cabin until booked my first balcony and now I'm trying to think back to remember if I indeed spent as much time as I do now in the cabin. It's very difficult to book anything but a balcony now; at least for me.

Trust me when I say it's not just Carnival that does this - they all do it.

I can't tell you how many times people will call concerning an advertised rate and when we check it out, it's no longer available. Happens all the time.

The other one I hate is they'll have a rate of let's say $500 per person. Then they'll advertise a special where you can get $50 onboard credit per cabin. Problem is, now the rate has increased to $550 per person. Again, this happens all the time, which is why I always tell people book the cabin before the special, then when the special occurs, check the price. If it's a better deal, then switch to the special rate. If it's not a better deal, then you were smart to book before the special.

And speaking of changing prices, in the past if a special was offered even after final payment was made, we could get the lower rate even up until the day before the cruise departed. Two years ago, Carnival changed their policy and no longer allowed changes to be made after the final payment due date. (An exception to this is with their Early Saver Fare.) The other cruise lines followed suit. So now, for the most part, we cannot get the lower rate after final payment has been made. (Sometimes agents can get something for their clients like onboard credit or upgrades, but this is not always the case and sometimes not available to everyone.)

Because of this new policy, some cruise lines have adopted a sneaky little thing where they'll drop the price right after the final payment due date. Keep in mind that everyone's final payment due date is the same if they've booked before that date, so when they change the price, it's not available to anyone who's already booked. Had a situation just a couple of weeks ago where we made the final payment one hour before the payment was due and two hours later, the rate dropped. Some cruise lines will work with you if that happens, but not all.

Then another little trick they like to add is the 'for new bookings only' clause. So if you're already booked, you can't get the special. And if you cancel and rebook, their software will catch and your rate will be recalculated. (There are ways around this if you know the tricks.)

But the bottom line is when booking a cruise, do it as soon as possible. That may very well be the lowest rate offered and prices could go up, so you're protected. Plus, you get the best choice of cabins, which can be crucial especially if you need something special like a cabin for 3 or 4, connecting cabins, a suite, etc. And if the rate goes down before final payment, most of the time you can get the special. So there are alot more benefits to booking early than booking later.

It is true that Carnival seems to advertise the lowest price in the lowest category for whichever cabin(s) they have available. It's not so much a bait and switch as it is a fire sale. Once the cabins are all gone I'm not sure the price changes on the display.

I used to think I didn't spend much time in my cabin until booked my first balcony and now I'm trying to think back to remember if I indeed spent as much time as I do now in the cabin. It's very difficult to book anything but a balcony now; at least for me.

We hear people who say "I don't spend any time in my cabin", well of course not! With an inside, you can get bored with yourself easily, so out you go. That balcony is a Godsend. A great getaway. Who wants to be out on deck at all times? It's a great place to unwind.